Slovakia — Ukraine’s main rival in 2028 Futsal World Cup qualifying
- Slovakia vs Ukraine will take place on November 10 in Bratislava, with kick-off at 19:00 Kyiv time.
- Ukraine have already beaten Estonia 9–2, with three group matches remaining.
- The group winners and the four best teams in second place advance to the main round.
A match that could determine the group standings
On 10 November, Ukraine’s national futsal team will face Slovakia in Bratislava. Kick-off is at 19:00 Kyiv time, and for both teams this will be a main-round match in qualifying for the 2028 World Cup. After a big win over Estonia, Ukraine face a tougher test: their opponents are more experienced, playing at home and have a group of players who all play for the same club.
Ukraine are considered favourites to win the group and the qualifying campaign overall, particularly after taking bronze at the previous World Cup. But being favourites does not make this match a formality. Head coach Oleksandr Kosenko described Slovakia as more experienced than Estonia and warned that the match would be tougher. He said every point is especially valuable in a short qualifying tournament, so Ukraine will be aiming to win.
In the main round, Ukraine were drawn in Group 9 and are set to play four matches — two against each opponent. The team have already played one game, beating Estonia 9–2. After facing Slovakia, Ukraine will have three matches remaining. That makes the result in Bratislava important for their position in the group, although it will not by itself determine who qualifies for the World Cup.
Ukraine go into the match in good form
European qualifying consists of several stages: the preliminary round, the main round and the elite round, with play-offs added under certain conditions. In the preliminary round, teams are divided into groups, and the top two sides in each group advance. They are joined in the main round by the strongest teams, including Ukraine. The group winners and the four best runners-up advance to the elite round.
At the next stage, the winners of the five groups will qualify directly for the World Cup. The four best runners-up will compete in playoff matches for two more places. The remaining runners-up will have a separate route through the playoffs after the main round, with four more teams advancing from there. So even a strong performance in the current group does not mean immediate qualification — the national teams still have additional stages ahead.
The final playoff format depends on where the World Cup is held, and the host country is not yet known. If the tournament is hosted by a European country, only the two best runners-up will advance to the elite-round playoffs, and only the winner of those playoffs will earn a place. This caveat is important for understanding the overall qualification path, but it does not change Ukraine’s immediate task — earning points in the group.
Slovakia are dangerous because of their cohesion and home support
Compared with the October match against Estonia, the Ukrainian squad has changed in just one place. Vadym Danyliuk of Sokil was injured, and in his place Vitaliy Radevych, captain of Alliance, has been called up after a lengthy absence. There will be no new debutants this time. Radevych returns to the national team amid a successful season for his club, which shares the lead in the Ukrainian Extra-League.
HIT Kyiv goalkeeper Oleksandr Kravets, who made his national-team debut in October, has been included in the squad again. His call-up raised questions at the time, but the Champions League group stage that followed changed the assessment of his readiness: HIT finished second in a tough group and did not lose a single match, while Kravets was one of the team’s key players. Another national-team goalkeeper, Oleksandr Sukhov, has started getting playing time at Sporting, the reigning Champions League winner.
Among the Ukrainians set to face Slovakia are players in strong club form. Four Eurobus players—Nazar Shved, Daniil Abakshyn, Ihor Korsun and Rostyslav Semenchenko—have been performing well. HIT is represented by Kravets, Yevhen Zhuk, Ihor Cherniavskyi and Vladyslav Perveiev; the team recently enjoyed a successful Champions League campaign. SkyUp and Alliance are joint leaders in the national championship.
The history of the rivalry and the significance of the result
Slovakia has never played at a World Cup and has appeared at the Euros just once: in 2022, the team reached the quarterfinals, where it lost to Spain. Even so, Slovakia should not be considered an easy opponent. Eight players in the national squad represent Lučenec, the reigning champions of the country. Having so many players from one club could help the team maintain its understanding on the court.
Lučenec regularly competes in the Champions League and played in League A this season. In the group stage, the Slovaks lost 0–11 to Barcelona, 0–6 to Semey, and 3–4 to Switzerland’s Minerva. The national team’s star is Tomáš Drahovský of Spanish club ElPozo, runners-up in the Spanish league. The squad also includes players from clubs in Poland and Czechia, so it is not made up solely of Lučenec players.
Ukraine has won ten of its eleven matches against Slovakia; its only defeat came in a friendly in 2009. The teams last met in Odesa ten years ago, in the second leg of the 2016 World Cup qualifying playoffs: Ukraine won 5–1, with Slovakia’s goal scored by Martin Doša, who has been called up again. Slovakia assistant coach Anton Brunovský is counting on discipline and the support of the crowd; the match will show how these factors affect the game.
Source: Champion.com.ua
